Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Timeline, Scorecard and More

Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are two of the most famous teams in cricket. Even Zimbabwe started to play cricket at the highest levels before Sri Lanka. It was British rule under both nations that started them to love and learn cricket. The rivalry between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe started when Zimbabwe came to the coastal nation for the series.

History Between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Cricket

Sri Lanka faced Zimbabwe for the first time in a bilateral tour in the 1983-84 season. And it was the start and rise of Sri Lanka in cricket as Zimbabwe was a decent side back then. Zimbabwe was as good as India was in the 1980s. And this shows how big of a downfall this nation has seen. In the 1920s, Sri Lanka started to play cricket.  

But the battle between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe went down as the cricket reached near 2000s as the fall of Zimbabwe started. And they became 10^th on the list of best 10 nations. As per many even Ireland and Afghanistan have better teams than Zimbabwe and all this has happened due to a lack of planning by the board, who did not at to make them shine. So in the battle between the two, post-1996, Zimbabwe did find it hard to beat Sri Lanka. And it is the case still now.

This is why it shows the mega levels of Sri Lanka and at the same time Zimbabwe losing the pace. Even a hardcore cricket fan would not know 20-plus cricketers coming from this African nation. And it is because they have seen the downfall. In the 2000s, these tours were seen with great respect and now it has become a tour where youngsters of these top sides go. And this tells the history of being evenly good in the 1970s and 80s and then solving down in the 90s middle.

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Timeline

Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe both learned cricket from the British occupation. This made them learn cricket to the core and by the 1980s, both teams became very strong. Back then in the 1983-84 tour of Zimbabwe in Sri Lanka, it was Zimbabwe who did have an edge of winning on away soil.

But the planning and passion of Sri Lanka grew up with the time well. And Zimbabwe started to not make up good cricketers starting from the 2000s. And now they are not even a top-10 side in cricket in any format. It shows the rise of Sri Lanka, who won the 50-over World Cup in 1996 and the T20 World Cup in 2014. They beat India to win this fast-paced competition. But when it was the 1970s or 80s, one would have seen Zimbabwe winning the World Cup. And look where they are now.

So even in H-2-H, Sri Lanka is miles ahead of Zimbabwe in Test, ODI and T20I. It used to be a good bilateral series and now, it is impossible to see them play a 4-match Test series.

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: Recent Match

• Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 1st T20I at Colombo, SL v ZIM, Jan 14 2024

Key Players in history for both sides

Andy Flower is the best batsman to ever come from Zimbabwe. He is one of the best batsmen ever. And his brother Grant Flower is another expectational cricketer, who was a very good batsman. Heath Streak is a very famous blower from Zimbabwe. And these three players have played a lot of cricket together. These are some of the top players to did perform against Sri Lanka too.

For Sri Lanka, Sanat Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Muthiah Muralidharan, Arjuna Ranatunga and Chaminda Vas are some of the leading cricketers who have performed well against Zimbabwe and helped Sri Lanka to win major honours.

Current Players

Charit Asalanka, Pathum Nisanka and To Dunit Vellala are three players who have the burden to make Sri Lanka shine. After most of the star players took retirement around 2015, the cricket of Sri Lanka did see a bit of a downfall for the next five to six years. But now they are looking stable thanks to these young players.

Tadiwanshe Marumani, Faraz Akram and Deon Myers are three players the fans of cricket in Zimbabwe have put their faith in. And some fans and pundits of the game feel that they are capable of making Zimbabwe stable to the highest levels.

For Sri Lanka, it is about winning the Test series away from home and going deep in World Cups. For Zimbabwe, it is about working well and making sure it can stand things out well and qualify for World Cups, so they can inspire the next generation to see cricket as a base to earn money.

The future of both teams

It seems that Sri Lanka has found the base for becoming again the top side in cricket. Shortly, the major goal for them would be to win Test series in India, England and other major nations of cricket as this would make them stable in real ways as in limited cricketers, it is still easy to win.  

For Zimbabwe, it is about making sure that they can qualify for the World Cup finals and do well. It is the way current players have a chance to play in the major T20 leagues and at the same time inspire the next generation to shine in the world of cricket.

Final Take

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Timeline shows two of the best cricketing sides of all times. Zimbabwe has been seeing a downfall since the late 1990s. However, Sri Lanka is a stable side and is being seen as one of the best teams ever. These are the two ways that make cricket a stable game and much credit for the growth goes to these two nations who have worked hard to make the game best.

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